Signs and Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

If there’s one kind of dental problem that is somewhat common and also pretty painful, it’s impacted wisdom teeth. That’s when the third molars that are located within the back area of your mouth are unable to get the amount of the room that they need in order to grow normally. When this happens, aside from being extremely uncomfortable, it can damage some of your other teeth and ultimately cause a myriad of other dental issues as well.

Sometimes people don’t realize that they have impacted wisdom teeth until a significant amount of damage has been done, mostly because they are unaware of what some of the signs and symptoms are. That’s why we’ve listed some of the most common ones below. If you are suffering from any of these, we recommend that you make an appointment to see your dentist just as soon as possible:

Pain, tenderness or achiness in your jawbone area. Unless you have braces (especially ones that have recently been tightened), it’s not normal for you have feel pain, tenderness or achiness in your jawbone area. Especially if after a couple of days, it seems to be getting worse than better. Oftentimes, it’s a telling sign that you have impacted wisdom teeth.

Swollen gums. Another common symptom of you having an impacted set of wisdom teeth is if you have swollen gums, particularly in the area around your wisdom teeth. When something is swollen, that means that something is abnormal. It needs to be treated as soon as possible.

Bad breath. If you are someone who practices good oral hygiene but it seems like you still have bad breath issues, this could be due to the fact that you have impacted wisdom teeth. Also, if you bite down in the area of your wisdom teeth and you notice that you have an unpleasant taste in your mouth (which actually could be attributed to the bad breath situation), that’s another warning sign that there is a problem in that space.

Problems opening up your mouth. Something that you should be able to do, almost subconsciously, is open up your mouth. So if you notice that you have trouble opening wide in order to brush your teeth or even eat Popsicle, that’s not normal. Impacted wisdom teeth could be the underlying cause.

Asymptomatic problems. If you had a consultation with a dental office like East Side Smiles, they might tell you that you have impacted wisdom teeth even without any obvious symptoms. They might come to this conclusion if they happen to discover a cyst, tumor or a form of root resorption (which is what happens when your body actually attacks itself and ultimately destroys some of the roots inside of your mouth). Although you can’t control something that is asymptomatic, that’s why it’s important that you visit your dentist on an annual basis. That way, they can stay on top of these kinds of issues before they cause a bigger problem as it relates to your wisdom teeth and overall oral health. For more information on wisdom teeth and how to care for your mouth in general, contact your dentist.